Washing machine



June 17, 12930.

June 17, 19,30. c. F. SMITH Er AL 1,764,476

z l WASHING MAcHiNE `Filed sept. 14,1926 s sheets-sheet 2 l i June 17, 1930. c. F. SMITH T AL. Y1,764,476

WASHING MACHINE damage to the clothes.

Patented June 17, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CHARLES F. SMITH, OE NEW BRITAIN, AND SVEND J. HELWEG, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNORS TO LANDERS, FRARY & CLARK, OF NEW BRITAIN, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT WASHING MACHINE `Application led September 14, 1926. Serial No. 135,319.

This invention relates to washing machines of the type having a tub mounted for oscillation about a vertical axis.

vThe object of the invention is to provide 'an improved tub wherein washing of the clothes or other articles to be cleansed is effectively carried out without liability of Our improved arrangement is such that the water is constantly circulated and agitated in a manner which insures thorough and complete Washing of the clothes in a relatively short time, but .the action is gentle to the extent that very fragile textiles, such as frail laces, may be Washed without danger of injuring the same.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out more in detail hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the appended claims. v

In the accompanying drawings, wherein is shown, for illustrative purposes, one of the embodiments which the present invention may take:

Figure 1 is a perspective view looking down into the tub;

Fig. 2 is a view showing the tub and the viin thereof .in vertical central section along the line 2-2 of Fig. 3, the base of the machine and the means for oscillating the tub being shown in elevation and more or less conventionally; and

Fig. 3 is a tap plan view with a portion of the rim or irwurned flange of .the tub removed. Y

Referring to the drawings in detail, A designates a base which is here shown nro i or less conventionally or diagrammatically, as the particular construction thereot` forms' no part of the present invention. B designates a s ider carrying the tub and having a post b Journalled in a bearing a on the base. C designates a crank which may be rotated by any suitable means (not shown), and this crank is connected to the spider by afpitman or connecting link D in such manner that,

has a concave or rounded bottom 10, and the bottom gradually curves or merges without break into the cylindrical side walls of the tub. If desired, the t-ub may be provided at lits upper edge with a rounded inturned ange 11.

In accordance with the present invention, the tub is provided with a single fin or baflie which, when the tub is oscillated, results in the desired circulation and agitation of the Water together with the clothes immersed therein. In the present illustrative disclosure of the invention, this fin is in the form of a sheet metal plate soldered or brazed in place but, obviously, the fin could be provided by making the wall of the tub of the desired shape. This fin has a rib 12 to each side of which is a trough 13, the troughs preferably being symmetrical with respect to one another and parallel to the rib. The rib, which is convex or parti-circular and preferably uniform' in cross section, is inclined upwardly from the bottom of the tub to a point adjacent the upper end of the side wall thereof, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. The lower end or bottom of the rib preferably extends into the tub a substantial distance but does not extend to the center thereof. In the present illustrative disclosure, the bottom of the rib is shown as extending into the tub a distance .the rounded corner between the concave bottom and the cylindrical sides of the tub. The

ends of these` wings are substantially tan-y gential to the tub.

With the arrangement described, When the tub is moving in either direction, the water, in front of that side wall of the rib which is advancing, Ais caused to flow generally empliiication that the finis at the rear of the tub, then the current or llow may be described in connectionwith the arrows of Fig. 2 as follows: Across the top of the body of water toward the front of the tub, as indicated by the arrow 50; downwardly at the front of the tub, as indicated by the arrow 51; then rearwardly at the bottom of the tub, as indicated by the arrow 52; and then upwardly of the fin and over the rib thereof. It is understood, of course, that the flow or current just described is a more or less general one, there being a tendency for the water at the lateral sides of the tub to follow the curvature of those sides. and for some of the water at the front of the tub to be thrown back and forth. The water, together with the articles immersed therein, has a more or less rapid motion up and over the fm and a slower motion at the front. The clothes, as they pass over the iin, are changed in position, shape and relation, and as they pass toward the front of the tub and downwardly along the front they are spread out or distributed. In any event, all por tions of the body of water, together with the clothesimmersed therein, are caused to continuously circulate in such manner that the clothes are well distributed and spread out so that the clothes are kept from becoming bunched up or entangled and there is a complete freedom of washing action. In no instance is there a dead spot or eddy in which the clothes might collect and become entangled. thoroughly and rapidly washed and, at the same time, the treatment is su'iciently gentle to prevent damage to the very finest kind of clothes.

By preference, the arrangement is such that the current of the water passing in one direction up and over the fin, when the tub is moving in one direction, is slightly stronger than that passing up and over the fin, when the tub is moving irr the opposite d1rection so that there is a dierential How,

so to speak, resulting in the articles being washed flowing over the fin4 in one direction a slightly greater number of times than 1n the other direction, thereby further prevent- `ing, bunching or tangling of the clothes.

' Any suitablemeans for oscillatingjthe tub in The results are that the clothes are Y a manner to accomplish this result may be employed, but by way of example, we have shown this means as comprising the rotating crank c and the connecting rod al eccentrically connected to the tub. 'lhe action may be described more in detail as follows, reference being particularly directed to Figs. 3 and 4: Itmay be assumed that the crank c rotates at a uniform speed in a counterclockwisedirection'and the radius of the large circle in Fig. 4 corresponds to the distance between lthe center of oscillation of the tub and the point of connection between the spider and .the connecting rod d. It will be observed that when the crank is moving 180 the arc r, nected to the tub will move first clockwise, or to the right, from r', to s', and then to the left- :from s to t. When the crank moves through 180 arcindicated by t, u and 7', the end of the pitman connected to the tub will move to the left from t to u andv then to the right from u to r', and the tub is moved a greater angular distance and therefore more rapidly when the crank is moving through the 180 arc t, u, r, than when the crank is moving through the 180 arc 7', s, t. This mea-ns that the reversal of movement of the tub, when the crank passes the point u, is quicker than when the crank passes through the point s. The initial movement of the tub on a stroke in a4 clockwise direction,'that is to the right, is greater than the initial movement of the tub in the opposite direction. Also, the tub approaches the end of itsI stroke in a counterclockwise direction more rapidly than it doesj` the end of its stroke in the other direction. In other Words, the tub approaches/and leaves one limit of its than the other limit. As a result of this actlon, the ilow of water over the iin is through slightly greater in one direction than iny the other, in the resent illustrative example, the flow over t e lin upon, initial clockwise movement of the tub being slightly greater than upon initial counterclockwise movement. Obviously, other driving means than that illustrated may be employed to obtain this result, it being understood that the foregoing explanation is by way of example only, and that it is immaterial as to which.

movement slightly more rapidly s, t, that end of the pitman confrom the scope of the appended claims, it I being intended that all matters contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

IVe claim amour invention:

1. In a washing machine, a vertical tub mounted for rotary oscillation and provided with a single inclined fin, said fin having a central convex rib with symmetrical concave sie walls merging into the side wall of the tu 2. In a washing machine, a vertical cylindrical tub mounted for rotary oscillation and provided with a single inclined iin and with a bottom which is concavely rounded throughout its entire area, said fin having a central rib with symmetrical concave side walls merging into the side walls of the tub, the bottom of said rib projecting into the tub and being spaced at substantial distances from the side wall and the center of the tub.

3. In a washing machine, a vertical tub mounted for rotary oscillation and provided with asingle fin including an inclined coknvex rib and a trough to each side of the r1 4. In a washing machine, a vertical tub mounted for rotary oscillation and provided with a cylindrical side wall and a concave bottom rounding into said side wall, said tub having a single iin inclined from the bottom l .of the tub to the side wall thereof, said fin including a central convex rib with a trough at each side thereof, and said tin having at each side a wing tt-ing in the rounded corner between the bottom of the side wall of the tub.

5. In a washing machine, a vertical cylindrical tub mounted for rotary oscillation and provided with a bottom which is concavely rounded throughout its entirearea, and a single lin extending from said concave bottom to the side wall of the tub and extending'- above the normal level of the water within A the tub.

6. In a washing machine, a verticalcylilh drical tub mounted for rotary oscillation and provided with a bottom concavely rounded throughout its entire area and a' single inclined fin extending above the normal level of the water within the tub, said tin having a central rib with symmetrical concave side walls merging into the side walls of the tub,

the bottom of said rib projecting into the' tub and being spaced at substantial distances from the side wall and the center of the tub.

7. In a washing machine, a

cal in cross section and of progressively in-- creasing width as it approaches the side of the tub.

rotary oscillat- `ing vertical tub provided with a single fin 8. In a washing machine, a vertical cylindrical tub mounted for rotary oscillation and provided with a bottom concavcly rounded throughout its entire area, and a single inclined iin extending from said Iconcave bottom to the side wall of the tub, the side walls of said fin being concave and merging into the wall of the tub.

9. In a washing machine, a tub mounted for oscillation about a vertical axis and provided with a single rib on one side thereof, and means for oscillating said tub arranged to cause a greater current of water to iow over the tub when the tub is moving in one direction than when it is moving in the other direction. l0. In a washing machine, a vertical cylindrical tub mounted for oscillation about a vertical axis and provided with a single iin at one side arranged -to cause the water, in advance of the iin, to flow generally upwardly and pour inwardly of the tub over the iin, and means for oscillating said tub arranged to cause a greater flow of water over the 1in in one direction than in the other direction.

11. In a washing machine, a rotary oscillating vertical tub provided with a single tin inclined upwardly from the bottom of the tub to one side thereof, and means for oscillatin said tub arranged to cause a quicker reversa at one limit of movement than at the other limit. l

12. In a washing machine, a vertical cylindrical tub mounted for rotary oscillation and provided with a single fin at one side arranged to cause the water to flow along the top away from the fin, then down that side of the tub opposite the iin, then along the bottom of the tub towards the fin, and means for oscillating the tub so arranged that the initial movement of thetub in one direction is faster than the initial movement of the tub in the opposite direction.

13. In a washing machine, a tub mounted for oscillation about a vertical axis and provided with a single rib on one side thereof arising above the normal level of the water in the tub, and means for oscillating said tub so arranged that one stroke of the tub is faster at its beginning and slower at its end than the other stroke. Y

14. In a washing machine, a rotary oscilg latingverticaltub provided with a single iiny inclined upwardly from the bottom of the tub to one side thereof, said lin having concave side walls merging into the side walls of said tub, and means for oscillating said tub arrangedy to give a faster movement to the tub as it approaches and leaves one reversal point than at the other reversal point.

15. In a washing machine, a rotary oscil lating vertical tub provided with a single lin inclined upwardly from the bottom of the tub to one side thereof, said iin gradually increasing in width as it progresses towards the wall ISP of said tub and having its bottom portion spaced a substantial distance from the side and the center of the tub, and means for oscillating the tub arranged to move the tub faster on the initial portion and slower on the final portion of one stroke than correspond-,f ing portions of its other stroke.

CHARLES F. SMITH.

SVEND J. HELWEG. 

